Professor Li started his career in 1986 as technician with Qinghai Electrochemistry. He moved to research at the Shanxi Institute of Coal Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Science, as a PhD student, Associate Professor and then Professor in 1997. Since then, he received multiple assignments for research studies at a national level, mainly on quantitative chemistry and simulation related to the coal conversion to liquid fuels as well as industrialisation.

He holds a PhD in Physical Chemistry from the Shanxi Institute of Coal Chemistry, a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Gent University of Belgium and Louvain University, a visiting scholarship at the Erlangen University, Germany.

Professor Li has received numerous national and foreign honours including

1992: Outstanding Young Chemist Award, Chinese Chemistry Association
1996: Advanced Chemical Engineering Award, VAN Research Fund, Belgium
1998: “100 Person Plan” Award, Chinese Academy of Science
1999-2000: Alexander von Humboldt Award, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany
2006: National Technology Innovation Silver Award, Chinese State Council
2006: Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award, Chinese Academy of Science
2008: China Outstanding Chemistry Scientific Researcher, Chinese Oil and Chemical Industry Association
2009: National May 1st Labor Medal.